DSi import only until 2009

The mega popular Nintendo DS handheld is getting a face lift and a pretty new hat, but looks like we will be waiting upwards of 6 months to try the new hat on.
Yesterday in Kyoto, Japan, Nintendo of Japan showed the snazzy new DSi unit, the latest in the DS line that is something of a missing link between the DS and some kind of crazy next-gen handheld.
The DSi will have not one, but two built-in cameras, one on the outer shell, which will be a 3.0 megapixle lense, and a second inside the unit where the mic is placed on the current DS Lite, which will be 0.3 megapixles. Clearly the external camera is meant for general use while the internal one is planned to be Incorporated into gameplay in some way or another.
Additionally the DSi will feature MP3 playback, which means no more dealing with external flashcards to play music on the DS. but does this mean we will be getting a sound card upgrade in the DSi? I can say from experience that the DS Lite, while not bad, didn't exactly provide the best audio quality when using MP3 flashcards.
But where will all your photos and music be stored? The DSi will feature built-in flash memory (exactly how much Nintendo has not yet stated, but I'm going to ball-park somewhere around 256-512 MB) and will also have a slot for an SD card for memory expansion. Hopefully Nintendo has learned its lesson with the Wii and will allow us to save to and load directly off the SD card from day-1.
According to Nintendo, on top of that, the screens will be 17 percent larger and it will be 12 percent slimmer. But in order to slim it down in such a way Nintendo had to sacrifice the GBA port, which will surly upset a number of people, namely those of us who play Guitar Hero On Tour and do not have access to the a working Gameboy Advance.
But the fanciest part of Nintendo's new hat is yet to come. Much like the Nintendo Wii, the DSi will have a download service called DS Ware, new downloadable games that can be purchased, like Wii Ware games, with Nintendo points cards. DS Ware will range from 200 points - 800 points depending on the game. Some applications will be free, like the new Wii Channels.
And when can we get our filthy hands on the new unit? Only Nintendo knows, and even they don't really seem to know for sure. Nintendo of Japan will be launching it in their region on November 1, 2008. As for Nintendo of America, the only thing they have stated is that it will launch here "well into calender 2009". So it looks like we will be waiting upwards of 6 months for the fancy new hat.
"There is currently still much demand for the current model of the DS Lite in the US," said Nintendo of America's president, Reggie Fils-Aime. According to him the DS Lite has already surpassed 2007s record-breaking DS sales by 22 percent and they plan on continuing with it at least until the holiday season is past.
Looks like we will be getting our fancy new DSi next year, but Nintendo is reluctant to set a date as of yet. Guess we will just be left waiting until next year.